Returning to a Government Of, By, and For the People

This week, I delivered a speech on reforming government and making it more responsive, representative, and effective for the people it serves. The speech, hosted by End Citizens United Action Fund, discussed specific proposals from House Democrats to overhaul our campaign finance system, renew Congress’s oversight role, restore voting rights, engage in national redistricting reform, strengthen ethics standards, and modernize government technology. If entrusted with the Democratic Majority, I believe all of these items should be packaged into one reform bill, along with House Rules changes to make Congress work more effectively, and addressed in the opening days of the next Congress. By doing so, we can renew the American people’s trust in government, which is critical to tackling our other priorities of expanding economic opportunity, lowering health care and prescription drug costs, and raising wages by rebuilding America.

On the Floor this week, both Democrats and Republicans worked together to pass a package of three funding bills – Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Energy and Water, and Legislative Branch – for Fiscal Year 2019. However, there are still nine funding bills remaining and only four legislative days to pass them before the fiscal year ends. Republicans control all levers of government and it is their responsibility to avoid another GOP shutdown at the end of the month. I hope they will work on a bipartisan basis to fund the rest of the government ahead of this deadline.

Finally, House Republicans passed yet another tax cut for the wealthy out of the Ways and Means Committee yesterday and intend to bring it to the Floor for a vote in the coming weeks. After passing their first tax bill that overwhelmingly benefitted the top 1% of Americans, Republicans are doubling down with another tax bill that is skewed toward the wealthy and will add $3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. House Democrats strongly oppose it and will continue to highlight how Republicans are putting the wealthy ahead of middle-class families.

Sincerely yours,
Steny H. Hoyer

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